Andy Warhol: A Documentary 

Ric Burns unearths rarely seen footage and offers keen observations on the life and artistic influence of Andy Warhol.

Director:

Ric Burns

Writers:

Ric Burns, James Sanders

Stars:

Laurie Anderson, Irving Blum, Salvador Dalí

1 nomination.

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Laurie Anderson	...	Herself - Narrator
Irving Blum	...	Himself
Salvador Dalí	...	Himself (archive footage)
Candy Darling	...	Himself (archive footage)
Donna De Salvo	...	Herself
Bob Dylan	...	Himself
Pat Hackett	...	Herself
Dave Hickey	...	Himself
Dennis Hopper	...	Himself
Jeff Koons	...	Himself
Paul Morrissey	...	Himself
George Plimpton	...	Himself (archive footage)
John Richardson	...	Himself
Edie Sedgwick	...	Herself (archive footage)
Andy Warhol	...	Himself (archive footage)

Storyline

Rare archival film footage and interviews illustrate filmmaker Ric Burns' tribute to art-world icon Andy Warhol. Much of the material Burns uses was shot by Warhol himself during his heydey in the 1960s and '70s. Interviews include art dealer Irving Blum, Warhol's brother John, Paul Morrissey and art critic Dave Hickey.

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Plot Keywords:

rags to riches | pittsburgh pennsylvania | new york city | los angeles california | filmmaker | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography

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Details

Official Sites:

PBS' American Masters [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 September 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Andy Warhol: Mia tainia documantaire

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eagle Rock Entertainment, High Line Productions, Steeplechase Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

240 min

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The episode won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming.

User Reviews

Ill-conceived

A deeply flawed film. As others have remarked, too heavy on Warhol's sexuality and too much gushing critical praise bordering on worship. Just not enough interesting material for 4 hours of documentary.

Now, here's the most annoying aspect of this documentary: Ric Burnes' ghastly use of his brother's technique - the'Ken Burnes Effect'(KBE). For anyone unfamiliar, this means the relentless zooming and panning across old photos, and in this case, artworks. I presume this gives the film makers added material (and movement) as they can zoom in and focus on different parts of a single image getting double or triple duty from limited resources. Completely unnecessary for an artist as prolific as Warhol - in fact, there were very few works shown full-frame in their entirety.

The use of KBE in this documentary is just plain aggravating. Imagine roaming through an art gallery looking at everything as if through a keyhole! Works of art are obviously meant to be seen whole - not in bits and pieces. Here, nearly all of Warhol's painted/screened works are presented zoomed and panned - an abomination, and a wasted opportunity to present these works to the public as they should be viewed. What a shame.